


Pepper Potts Needs A Raise

by Adren



Category: Iron Man (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types, The Avengers - Ambiguous Fandom
Genre: 5+1 Things, Awesome Pepper Potts, BAMF Loki (Marvel), BAMF Pepper Potts, Crack, Fluff and Crack, FrostIron Bingo 2019, Jarvis (Iron Man movies) is a Good Bro, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, M/M, POV Pepper Potts, Pranks and Practical Jokes, Protective Loki (Marvel), Tony Stark hates board meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-28
Updated: 2019-12-28
Packaged: 2021-02-24 18:42:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,514
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22002685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adren/pseuds/Adren
Summary: Pepper is a good CEO. She's diligent, insanely organised, and the one person that can keep a very unruly Tony Stark in check. So of course when he starts showing actual signs of being in an actual relationship, Pepper is more than a little concerned.Aka: Five times Tony skips out on company meetings, and one time he attends with Loki in tow.
Relationships: Loki & Tony Stark, Loki/Tony Stark
Comments: 14
Kudos: 299





	Pepper Potts Needs A Raise

**Author's Note:**

> hey!! this is another fill for the bingo, B2: Character, Pepper Potts. enjoy!

1.

Tony had started skipping board meetings again.

The first time it happened, it had been a cold and dreary Thursday morning, at hours that even Pepper would consider ungodly, so she didn’t think much of it. After all, one could never expect the great Tony Stark to have the capabilities of waking up before noon, especially not when his inventions allured him into long hours of fun and enjoyment. However he considered banging away at metal and making her concerned about his health _fun and enjoyment_ , that is.

Nevertheless, Pepper considered herself to be a diligent CEO, so she dutifully fulfilled the obligation of sending a half-hearted text asking Tony why he wasn’t present. Not that this meeting was particularly crucial - it was merely some discussion over the disparity in salary for certain departments - but after all, he was the most important figure of the company, and she really didn’t want to deal with the questions that the administration would surely raise. At six in the morning.

Tony didn’t reply until eleven, when the meeting had progressed to the point where people covered their faces to yawn and discreetly checked their phones in the bathroom. But it wasn’t your typical apology message with a half-assed excuse. No, he’d had sent a picture of himself and someone else (whose face was hidden beneath a pile of blankets), miming blowing a kiss to him.

Of course. Tony wasn’t attending the meeting because he had taken someone to bed. Which meant that Pepper would have to take care of the mess in the bedroom, and in all the other places that he’d probably left traces of what he’d been doing last night. She would also have to make sure Tony’s one night stand got home safely, send his clothes for dry cleaning, and then return to her office to resume the mountains of work that was currently sitting on her desk waiting.

Reluctantly, Pepper dialled Happy’s number, asking him to stop by Stark Industries as soon as possible, gave JARVIS instructions about how to handle Tony’s mess, and then excused herself from the meeting, feeling a migraine forming.

She really needed to give herself a raise one of these days.

2.

A week later, Pepper was on board a plane to Tokyo, Japan, where she and Tony were supposed to discuss business opportunities with their newest potential client, the chairman of a huge entity that could very possibly rake in millions more for their company. Meaning that _obviously_ , this meeting was important.

And so naturally, halfway through the flight Tony videocalled her to say that he wouldn’t be coming.

“Hey Pep, I’m busy, so I can’t come.” Tony winked amiably from the screen, evidently having just showered. “I’m sure you got this anyway, right? That old guy is such a pushover.”

“Well, as current CEO, I’m obliged to ask what exactly it is that you are busy with - _is that what I think it is over there?_ ” Pepper narrowed her eyes at the display. In the corner of the screen lay what looked suspiciously like handcuffs, as well as some other rather questionable items that had evidently been used very recently. Christ. Just when she thought Tony couldn’t get any weirder in his bedroom pursuits.

“ _Ssh_.” Tony grinned wickedly, and angled the phone camera away. “On the bright side, at least you’ll get the credit as the main representative of SI?”

“If that’s what’s keeping you busy, Tony, then I’m sending Colonel Rhodes over to drag you to the airport.”

“Aah, no, spare me,” Tony dramatically feigned fainting of horror. “I promise, I do have...important work to do, _uh_ , yeah…”

“Tony-”

“Is that static I hear? I’m - pretty sure - static - bye!” And just like that, he cut the call, not even bothering to apologise for what was obviously a terrible imitation of bad connection.

Thankfully, the meeting went well and their client was in fact a pushover, or else Pepper would have bashed Tony’s head in with one of his wrenches. Over and over. Until permanent head damage was inflicted.

3.

Over the next few days, Pepper started to see changes happening to Stark Tower. First, it was a suit that Pepper knew she hadn’t bought lying around in the guest room. Then, an extra set of cutlery in the sink after dinner. Cups of tea were left on tables when Tony only ever drank coffee, and the bookshelves looked like they were actually being used instead of just being there for decoration. Little by little, Pepper started seeing small details of someone else’s presence in the tower, and it looked like they weren’t going to leave anytime soon.

And this someone else wasn’t just anyone, too. They were, in fact, a complete weirdo. Just the other morning, Pepper walked into Tony’s room only to find a whole set of horns lying around on the floor, golden and glittering in the 9am sunlight. And one could never forget the leather incident, whereupon she came across several very revealing leather getups hanging in the closet whilst forcing Tony to do laundry. She’d, very bemusedly, pursued this topic with Tony, but the response she got was more half hearted than the paperwork that he handed in (which said a lot, actually.) Cosplay, he’d defensively said. Whatever that was.

Safe to say, this new enigma had made an impact on Tony, too. This fact became clear when he skipped out on the monthly meeting that was held with all the department managers and, safe to say, was pretty _goddamn_ important.

It had been such a great day, too. Everyone had arrived on time, the weather was great - heck, even the usually malfunctioning AC worked fine. Pepper sent the usual reminder text to Tony to be there fast, because she knew there was no way he’d be on time. But the reply text she got that said he’d be there in ten turned into twenty, which became half an hour, with still no sign of him.

That was, at least, until the speakers started blaring heavy metal music halfway through the meeting, and a certain inventor dressed in clothes that Pepper knew didn’t belong to him sauntered in the room, cheerily whistling as if he wasn’t two hours late.

But that wasn’t even the most striking part about Tony.

The part that really drew Pepper’s, and everyone else’s attention to, were the marks on his neck. Clearly visible to whoever turned their head towards him, they trailed from his lower jaw all the way down to his neck, where they disappeared, hidden behind a black leather band that looked suspiciously like a choker. A god forsaken _choker_. What had he been doing in his spare time, for god’s sake?

“Had a fun time last night, Mr. Stark?” one of the directors asked, probably to deviate attention from the hundred-thousand dollar deal that would have forced him to take some weight off of the giant stash of cash that Pepper knew he had in the bank. As if the spotlight wasn’t already on her boss already.

Tony merely grinned, and ran a hand through his ruffled hair. “What I do in my own personal life is none of your business, _honey_.” And then he proceeded to sit down next to her, and winked. Winked. “Plus, I’m sure Ms Potts has been more than enough to cover all the necessary material so far. I’m just the boss, remember?”

“That, indeed is true, but this does not reflect well on our company, you know how the media likes to nitpick at all the details of Stark Industries-”

“Ssh. Irrelevant.” Tony fiddled with his phone purposely, already disinterested in his surroundings.

Pepper admonished him for being late, which she was fairly sure went in one ear and out the other, but what was PR if not for things like pretending to scold your boss so that the media wouldn’t bludgeon you to death? And soon enough, the meeting continued, only occasionally interrupted when someone tried to put Tony on the spot or when Tony himself interjected, usually with some trifling joke about his love life.

As close to normal as normal could ever be.

Which meant, of course, that the brief respite that Pepper had been relishing soon came to an end.

A ding came from Tony’s phone, and she was just about to confiscate his phone when he stood up abruptly, heading for the door immediately.

“And where exactly do you think you’re going?” Pepper demanded. She’d be damned if she was going to let him skip another meeting to add to the already bruising marks on his skin. Goddamn hickeys. The media would never let her live this down.

“Gotta dash, Pep. Hero stuff.” Tony blew a kiss in their general direction, and headed for the window.

“Please don’t tell me you’re going to jump out the window.” She groaned. “My grey hairs are multiplying, Tony, and it’s because of _you_.”

He nodded sagely. “But _I_ _am_ still going to jump out the window.” And then leaped, the Mark VI suit already assembling around him.

And Pepper would’ve really killed for some aspirin for the oncoming headache that she knew was going to hit her later in the day.

4.

Pepper had been woken up by JARVIS, the AI stating that it was a matter of national urgency and that she needed to check the news immediately. She snatched up a Stark tablet, thinking _what if it’s about Tony please don’t do this to me it’s bloody 4 am in the morning god help us all if it’s about Tony-_

And because luck was not on her side that day, of course, it _was_ about Tony.

Headlines flashed on the screen before her, red alert signs popping up with the name _TONY STARK_ inscribed everywhere. Headlines swarmed her vision, emboldened capital letters of urgent news dizzying her senses. What had Tony gotten himself into now?

“Get me some footage, JARVIS.” The screen immediately transitioned to a video clip, and Pepper pressed play.

It started off showing the Avengers in motion from an aerial view, probably taken from a news helicopter in the area. They were battling men dressed in black military clothing and masks that covered their faces, obviously to hide their identity. Pepper recognised the insignia on their uniforms. It belonged to one of the most notorious terrorist organisations in the world.

So that was what Tony had left the meeting for. Pepper sighed. Hero duty really was frustrating at times.

Tony was clad in his armour suit, repulsors firing blasts that took the terrorists down in hordes. Even though his face was covered, Pepper could imagine the smug, idiotic grin on his face as he fought crime. The camera couldn’t capture any sound apart from indistinguishable cries and buzzing static, but Pepper swore at one point Tony even blew a kiss.

Then, out of nowhere, a scream. Heads turned and bullets were fired as the Avengers realised that they had fallen to an ambush. Hordes of enemy troops stormed towards them - separated in the midst of war, the chances of them winning now fell to less than desirable. Five against a thousand. Where was Thor when he was needed the most?

Then the camera panned to the side, and Pepper gasped -

Tony was falling out of the sky.

Bullet holes had penetrated his armour, leaving gaping wounds visible on naked skin. Sparks from destroyed circuits streaked across suit parts that had become damaged beyond recovery, pieces torn apart and flung into the hazy sky by merciless gusts of wind. Pepper blanched at the sight - hurtling towards the ground at increasingly dangerous speed, Tony looked like he wasn’t going to survive the fall.

The camera zoomed in, and caught footage of him shouting something. A cry to JARVIS, perhaps, if the AI hadn’t been obliterated; or to Captain America, to plead for help. But what could they do, when there were still swarms of evil left to fight?

Tony had fallen so far down, all the camera could capture now was a mere speck of red and gold, soon to be another splatter of blood amongst the mass of casualties. Pepper covered her face in her hands, unwilling to witness the tragedy that was now inevitable.

A hundred metres… eighty… sixty…

Fifty… _thirty… twenty…_

And just as Tony was about to hit concrete, a sharp glint of gold and green pulled Pepper’s focus back onto the screen. An oddly familiar silhouette snatched him away bare inches from the ground, a ferocious look on his face that screamed murder. Gently holding Tony in his arms, the man turned to exact revenge - and then Pepper saw his face.

Loki.

The demigod who devastated the city of New York. Whom thousands of people lived in fear of returning and harming their lives. Who definitely, _definitely_ shouldn’t be right there in Jakarta, saving the man whom he’d thrown out of a building.

Pepper didn’t know how to react, except to continue watching with bated breath. Placing Tony down softly on the ground, Loki set his hands ablaze in emerald fire, his glare so intense the surrounding troops backed off in fear. Tendrils of magic flared with sparks as they streaked through the masses of oncoming enemies, the impact blasting them to their knees, flurries of ash and debris painting an apocalyptic nightmare.

It was over in a matter of minutes. After all, Loki was a demigod, and his strength was undeniably otherworldly. The terrorists that had been undefeatable to the Avengers were mere toys to him. Mortals to a god. Ants under a boot.

Loki stood defiantly in the middle of the battlefield, blood smeared down one side of his face. In that instant, Pepper didn’t know whether to hate him, or to respect him. He’d been the face of evil for months - yet now he’d just completely annihilated a threat that would’ve taken Tony’s life. And evidently, the rest of the Avengers were facing the same problem - to thank Loki, or to arrest him?

But before anyone could make a move, the demigod disappeared, piercing the sky with a burst of green light that blinded her eyes.

And Tony had disappeared along with him.

The video clip ended, leaving her staring at a bewildering mass of urgent alerts and confidential SHIELD information. Clearly, her boss wouldn’t be attending any meetings today. Or for the ostensible future, that was.

Pepper was worried. Why would Loki suddenly take a liking to Tony? She doubted that it was merely the god’s capricious nature and tendency to subvert expectations. And it definitely wasn’t just because Tony had asked nicely.

Or what if…

A thought occurred to her, and the proverbial light bulb went off over her head. The suit that didn’t belong to Tony, the cups of tea in the sink, the recent signs of a significant other - what if they weren’t just some hookup, but - but - Loki?

It would explain the horns. And the leather. And the vague responses that she got when she asked about Tony’s new partner when usually _he’d be the first one_ to tell her excitedly.

Pepper swiped across the screen, and brought up the keypad to dial the hospital Tony was staying in. She had a hunch that she was right about this one.

5.

“Tony.”

“Yeah?”

“If, hypothetically, you were sleeping with someone, and if this person happened to be someone that we knew, and if I happened to guess who it is, what would you do?”

Tony creased his eyebrows. “That’s a lot of ifs.”

“Tony -”

“I’ve got a feeling you’re trying to accuse me of something. Are you trying to accuse me of something? Cause there’s a queue for that.”

Pepper sighed. “Tony, it’s just - you’ve been weird lately.”

“Uh. Go on then.”

“Well, for one, Loki saved you from splattering on concrete yesterday. And today you wake up and the doctors say you’ll be able to be discharged tomorrow when we all very well know the diagnosis read three broken ribs and a bullet in your shoulder. I think I deserve to know what has been going on, Tony.” Pepper rubbed her eyes. “So answer me - are you in a relationship with our most wanted villain on Earth?”

“Um…” Tony mumbled apologetically. “Yes?”

Pepper groaned. “Oh my god.”

“I swear, Pep, Loki’s not all bad! He’s charming and sweet and badass to a fault, and he’s never even hurt me at all, except maybe in bed at night when things get heated - but _that’s okay!_ ” Tony blurted. “I love him, for real this time, Pepper. Please say you won’t call the cops?”

“Tony, you ass.” Pepper smiled affectionately. “I’m glad you found love.”

“Oh, thank god. I really thought for a second you were gonna call the authorities on me.” Tony pulled himself up to a sitting position in relief. “Soo, um… help me convince the rest of the Avengers?”

Pepper grimaced. “I’m starting to regret this already.”

5+1

Eventually, things turned out okay. Tony got discharged from the hospital, Pepper went back to her duties as the CEO of Stark Industries, and construction to repair the damage dealt during the fight proceeded smoother than ever. And after a lengthy debrief and several ear-wrangling discussions with SHIELD and the Avengers, Loki was officially declared no longer a villain, and his name was struck off Interpol’s most wanted list.

Everything was peaceful again. That is, until two weeks later.

Pepper was in a board meeting, discussing another of those aggravatingly boring and dreary items on their annual agenda that could have _really just been done through email_. Except that most of the directors on the board _were_ boring and dreary people who _enjoyed_ these kinds of _boring and dreary_ meetings, so here they were. At nine in the morning. Discussing goddamn ways to elevate risk profiling.

“So, Ms. Potts, may I have the liberty of asking: where exactly is our president, Tony Stark?” The question temporarily took her out of her _don’t-let-them-catch-you-daydreaming_ stasis.

“The whereabouts of Mr. Stark is fortunately not my concern, Director. I believe our discussion currently at hand should be the priority?”

“Yes. However, Stark has been absent from all meetings this whole month, including several incredibly crucial international conferences that could cost us millions. Don’t you think that-” The director in question was cut off by the sound of _deafening_ air horns blasting through the room, and he staggered several steps backward into his plush leather chair. Pepper herself blinked, quite a few times, and sat back down in stupefaction.

_Tony_. Goddamn. Stark.

That was when the windows shattered. And a rainbow-hued glitter bomb was hurled in.

Pepper’s eyes widened comically, and she barely had time to shout “ _Look out!_ ” before it exploded, bombarding the entire place in a thunderous explosion of kaleidoscopic glitter and paint. And when her vision cleared and she managed to get the gooey substance off of her face, she gaped in shock at the state of the room.

It was as if an explosion had gone off in a paint factory. Every single one of the board members were entirely drenched in shimmering coats of wild and turbulent colour, slivers of paint dripping from the ceiling and onto the furniture. The mahogany table which had cost the company a dear sum of money was now permanently stained with a mess of rainbow paint that was _seriously_ damaging her eyes to look at, and the carpet - Pepper was not even going to talk about the shape of the carpet. It hurt her _soul_ to look at it.

From outside, she could hear maniacal laughter, and the source of all this mess swooped in from the now shattered glass to stand, completely pristine in an Armani suit and tie. Beside him, a familiar trickster was standing with his arm around Tony’s waist, cackling evilly together as they surveyed the chaos they had created.

“I will throw this _damn_ mug at your face, Tony Stark. Don’t try me.” Pepper picked herself up from the chair, which had paint that was slowly drying into a gooey icky mixture, and threateningly pointed her coffee mug at him.

“What can I say, Pep. Loki’s been a stellar influence on my behaviour thus far, don’t you think?” Tony merely grinned, and waved cheerily to the other board members, some of which had actually fainted from the shock of the blast.

“ _Evil_ , both of you. I should have never let him off the wanted list. Should’ve made both Tony Stark and Loki villain names while I still could.” Pepper groaned as she felt wet glitter and paint in her hair. Her hairdresser was going to have a field day.

“Too late now, Pep!” And just like that, Tony jauntily strode out the door, making sure to loudly kiss Loki on the way.

And even long after the sound of their footsteps echoed down the corridor, Pepper swore she could hear their raving laughter resounding through the walls.

Goddamn pranksters. She needed a break from this job.

**Author's Note:**

> 🦄this is unicorn  
> pls give unicorn some love <3


End file.
